Utility is preferable to grandeur.

Meaning: Practical usefulness in daily life matters more than impressive but ornamental displays of wealth or status.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Wisdom

• Nothing venture nothing win. — Taking risks is necessary to achieve success; passivity guarantees failure.
• War is death's feast. — Conflict creates abundant opportunity for mortality, making death thrive where violence s…
• Wedlock is a padlock. — Marriage's binding commitment removes personal freedom and independence once entered.
• Be not weary of well-doing. — Persistent good actions, though exhausting, yield their reward through accumulated virtue…
• Win first, lose last. — Victory requires sustained effort; initial success means nothing without perseverance thr…
• Wit bought is twice taught. — Learning through painful experience costs dearly but teaches lessons that instruction alo…

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…